St. Paul Pioneer Press tech blog by Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Your Tech Weblog

St. Paul Pioneer Press tech blog by Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Arcade-game paradise set to open in Minneapolis soon

Love old-fashioned arcade-style video games?

You’re bound to like Insert Coins VideoLounge GameBar, an unusual kind of nightspot replete with classic games from the late 1970s ( “Asteroids” and “Space Invaders”) through the early 2000s (“Marvel vs. Capcom 2″ and the like). It also has modern gaming consoles along with (of course) DJs and drinks.

The Las Vegas company is due to open a “Level 2″ outpost in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District on Oct. 1.

It is being a bit tight-lipped about this pending a formal announcement, but has just signed crack local public-relations firm Sterling Cross Group to help oversee publicity.

After opening their first location in Las Vegas in 2011, the company is opening their second location in Downtown Minneapolis at 315 First Avenue North. The two level location, which was formerly Karma, will now be home to a state of the art Videolounge Gamebar to allow the 21+ crowd a unique interactive nightlife experience found currently only at their Las Vegas flagship location.

Insert Coins will mix a video DJ, local art, and a full bar with 45 refurbished classic arcade cabinets and 38 HDTV video game consoles ranging from Atari 2600 to Super Nintendo to the XBOX 360. Their projected opening date is October 1st, 2012. Patrons will be able to select from) a library of videogame titles. State of the art video wall, lighting and sound will surround the dance floor with amazing video content. A raised stage accommodates vocal/musical performances from local and nationallyrecognized artists.

As an “Asteroids” addict back in the day, I am looking forward to checking out this place when it starts to come together.